


Haven

by GoodnightAndJoyBeWithYouAll



Category: Day6 (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Arranged Marriage, F/M, Reader-Insert
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2019-04-18 06:51:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14207499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodnightAndJoyBeWithYouAll/pseuds/GoodnightAndJoyBeWithYouAll
Summary: “If you were celebrating something, you’d be over there with them around the campfire. If you were taking in the beauty of the country or something like that, you’d be down by the water about to watch the sunset. If you were here because this trip is just a big vacation, you’d be in your room asleep, at the spa, or a mix of all the above. But since you are sitting here, at the bar by yourself and have been for at least half an hour, it means you’re more than likely upset and probably only here because you’re trying to get away from something, aka running.” The thing that upset you the most isn’t the fact that this stranger had been able to peg you exactly, but the fact that he seemed to know it as well.An arranged marriage/soulmate AU Loosely inspired by the song "For Ya" by Rita Ora and Liam Payne from 50 Shades Darker. I have to admit that the song is a bop BUT THE MOVIES ARE NOT AN EXAMPLE OF A HEALTHY AND FUNCTIONING BDSM RELATIONSHIP PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT THAT NARRATIVE AND ACTUALLY DO RESEARCH ON WHAT A GOOD DOM/SUB RELATIONSHIP ENTAILS.





	Haven

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I'm finally posting again!! For those of you who have been reading my other stories: I have not abandoned any of them I swear!!! I have spent the past six months going in and out of an extremely bad depression spiral and when you mix that with my anxiety, dissociative tendencies, and life just being shitty in general, you have the right mix for a cocktail of problems, especially in terms of not finding the will/strength/inspiration/want/ability to write. 
> 
> I've been feeling alot better recently and this is my first attempt at jumping back into the writing game! I've also started working on the Virgin Diaries (which chronologically speaking needs to be the next one I update) and I wanted to get that one up before I wrote this actually but it literally would not leave me alone until I finished it. 
> 
> Proper mental health is super important and if you find yourself spiraling please seek help and do not allow yourself to think that suffering alone is coping! It's not!! Admitting your not okay doesn't mean you're weak! It means you're human and recognizing that you need to depend on others and that you can't do everything by yourself is part of being an adult and a functioning member of society. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this :3

“So what are you running from?” You shook your head at the unexpected question, turning to your left to look at the stranger who you had taken refuge on the empty stool beside you. You had been content by your lonesome for over an hour attempting to distract yourself from the reason you were here but found no matter how much you tried, your thoughts kept coming back to the same place.

 _Marriage. Arranged. Alliances. Mergers. Business._ All words that had been floating around since your childhood but had only recently become real with your graduation from school. You had accepted a long time ago that when the time came, you would be marrying for the sake of economic power, just as other members of your family had done before you. Your great-great grandparents had started the tradition and so far it had proved successful: Each line of your family bringing more wealth and prosperity to your family’s company and even being lucky enough to have found love along the way. Your parents had met for the first time three days before their wedding, but they were the most in love couple you had ever seen. That being said, you had also seen the ways that arranged marriages could go wrong, having watched others within your families’ circles grow to hate each other but being forced to stay together through contracts of paper, monetary and societal nature.

You had never been one for believing in soulmates or the idea that there was someone perfect for everyone that Disney built a corporation on, but a small part of you did resent the fact that you wouldn’t even be allowed to _try_ for yourself and see if there was any truth to the tale. Your parents had been more than understanding, offering you the chance to have a say in who they picked but you had declined. You trusted them to pick a good match, and you knew that they would background check to the point of obsession in order to ensure that whomever you married would be as a good of a person as possible, but for some reason the thought of personally taking a part in the process depressed you beyond reason. So you had given them your full permission to pick a groom, a date, and a time and that you’d be there as long as it was after you had graduated. They had easily agreed and made plans for a fall wedding, giving you what they hoped would enough time to relax before taking your spot in the family empire.

Now here you sat, three days after receiving your diploma, on a European beachfront about to begin a three-month excursion through the continent as a last hurrah with yourself and a bunch of strangers you would never see again. And while you should have been excited about the places you would get to see and the adventures you were about to embark on and the fact that you had just graduated from _fucking grad school_ , you couldn’t help but feel a little sad for yourself and your situation. You had been contemplating ordering another shot when the stranger beside you had interrupted your thoughts. You pulled your lips together in a thin line and glared as you gave him a quick once-over.

“What makes you think I’m running from something?”

“Because you are.” He responded as if was the simplest thing in the world. “If you were celebrating something, you’d be over there with them around the campfire. If you were taking in the beauty of the country or something like that, you’d be down by the water about to watch the sunset. If you were here because this trip is just a big vacation, you’d be in your room asleep, at the spa, or a mix of all the above. But since you are sitting here, at the bar by yourself and have been for at least half an hour, it means you’re more than likely upset and probably only here because you’re trying to get away from something, aka _running_.” The thing that upset you the most isn’t the fact that this stranger had been able to peg you exactly, but the fact that he seemed to know it as well. You arched an eyebrow as you picked up the cocktail you’d been nursing, prepared to throw it in his face if need be.

“You’ve been watching me for half an hour?” You asked. “Don’t you think that’s a tad creepy of you?” At this, he did have the decency to duck his head in embarrassment. When he looked back up, the cocky expression he had been wearing before was gone and now the look on his face was more sincere.

“I’ll admit I’ve had prouder moments. If it makes the situation better, it’s cause I was using the time to figure out the best way to come over and talk to you.”

"And why would you wanna do that? You running from something too?”

“Oh, 100 percent. The only difference is that I have no problem admitting it.” And just like that, the cockiness was back but for some reason, you no longer had an interest in throwing your drink in his face, instead bringing it up to your lips. As he motioned for the bartender, you looked him over again, only this time you really _looked_. The sun had just begun its descent in the sky and it was casting a warm glow on his already amber complexion. His nose was a straight line in the middle of his face and his eyebrows were a tawny brown, a stark contrast from the platinum blond hair on his head. The corner of one of his lips seemed to be pulled up in a constant smirk and covered a set of perfect teeth that you’ve seen glimpses of. His eyes were slightly triangular in shape and when glanced at the beach behind him the light reflecting from the sun revealed they were a cognac brown. By now, the bartender had returned with his drink and you had to resist rolling your eyes at his drink of choice.

“What’s your name anyway?” You asked as he picked up his cognac. “Since it took you thirty minutes to decide to talk to me, I assume you’re going to want a conversation and I should probably have something to call you.”

“It’s Brian. What about you?” Just as you were about to tell him, you hesitated. What was the point? After this trip, you were going to go back home and literally never see him or anyone else here again. You hadn’t come with the intention of making any longstanding relationships that would transfer over after the wedding. This holiday was meant to be a solo trip that you could use to relax one last time before your life shifted into overdrive. An oasis, a sanctuary, a-

“Haven.”

“What?”

“My name.” You clarified. “It’s Haven.” You didn’t think that it could have been more than a few seconds between him asking and your response and if he could tell that you were lying he didn’t mention it.

“So then Miss Haven.” He started. “The original question still stands.”

“And what question was that?”

“What. Are. You. Running. From?” You paused, trying to figure out how to word your answer in a way that wouldn’t be a lie but also wouldn’t be giving away any personal details.

“A future that I don’t want.” You expected him to call you out on the vagueness of your statement and were surprised when he didn’t, instead nodding and seeming to let it go. You cleared your throat. “Alright, Brian. Your turn. What is it that you’re running from?” He hummed as he thought it over, gently swirling the brown liquid in his glass. He turned on his bar stool to face the ocean behind you and was silent for long enough that you thought he was just going to ignore the question all together before he finally glanced back to look at you, a small sad smile on his face.

“A future I can’t control.”

“Birds of a feather flock together, huh?” Brian let out a laugh and sighed, leaning back against the bar that you were still facing.

“Misery loves company.” The words hung between you both as you took in the sounds of everyone around you enjoying themselves while you both sat there in dismay. Finally, you couldn’t take the silence anymore and after downing the rest of your cocktail, you motioned for the bartender and when he came over you quickly ordered two shots and held one out for Brian to take which he did, staring inquisitively at you the whole time.

“A toast.” You explained.

“To what? How pathetic we are?”

“No.” You responded rolling your eyes. “We are going to make a toast to now. We are on a beautiful continent, about to start what’s going to be an amazing journey, and we are going to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and enjoy it. The future is coming and there’s literally nothing we can do to stop it no matter how much we want to. So, all we can do is be in the moment. We toast to now.” Brian had started to smile throughout your small speech and by the end, his smile was so wide that it was nearly splitting his face in two. He raised his shot glass and you did the same.

“To now.” He repeated. “To new friendships, a three-month adventure and to not worrying about the unavoidable. To you, to me, to now.” You nodded and knocked your glasses together in agreement.

“To you, to me, to now.”

* * *

 

“Sweetheart are you ready?” You snapped out of your thoughts to see your mother staring at you hopefully from the door and you forced your facial muscles to contort into what you hoped was a convincing smile.

“Almost. Five minutes?” Your mother smiled back encouragingly.

“Of course. It is _your_ day after all.” And it was. The wedding had arrived sooner than you would have liked and now you stood in a backroom of your venue only minutes from walking down the aisle. Your parents had rented out a small cafe for the event with the ceremony taking place in the building’s main room before moving outside for the reception. It was going to be private, just your families and selected friends with the total amount of guests being under 100. Your dress was perfect, your hair and makeup done and all of your bridesmaids were already waiting at the altar, you having chosen to take your last steps as a single person literally and figurately alone. Your mother sent you one last encouraging smile before exiting and you sighed, relieved to be alone with just your thoughts again.

You had hoped that when you returned home you’d be able to focus but all week your thoughts kept drifting back to your trip and not in the means of fond memories but in the way of regrets and you knew exactly why.

By the middle of the trip, you and Brian had been practically inseparable. If someone was looking for him, they were looking for you and vice versa. You had a few close relationships but for the most part, you hadn’t ever felt a need to constantly surround yourself with people and you had even surprised yourself at how many people you planned on keeping in contact with after the trip. But Brian was... _different_.

You had thought it would be nice to have someone to talk to every now and then, but without realizing it, Brian crept his way under your skin. On bus trips through cities he’d always pull you down into the seat beside him before you could complain. The two of you fell asleep in each other's rooms so often that it just got to the point that the person in charge of assigning sleeping arrangements just went ahead and put you both together.

Pictures by the Eiffel tower in Paris.

Pretending to push the Leaning Tower in Pisa.

Museum hopping in Edinburgh.

Reading about the history of cork in Georgia.

Screaming at a concert in Amsterdam.

Tons of laughter, memories and moments that you could carry with you and you had been more than content. You had been _happy_.

_Santorini had ruined everything._

Brian had made it his mission to take a picture of the sunset in every location (and coincidently drag you along as well) and he had heard from a local about a great place only a few blocks from where you were staying. You hadn’t really understood the point of it. A sunset was a sunset and while they had all been incredibly beautiful, there was no way you’d be able to differentiate between pictures and you had no idea how he planned to when he finally got them developed. Either way, the two of you found yourself on a hillside in a comfortable silence as you watched the colors in the sky blend in with those of the ocean in front of you. It was breathtaking and you were sure that Brian thought so as well, constantly moving around to take pictures from every angle like he always did. And then the skies had opened up.

You both were soaked almost instantly and after carefully placing his camera back in his backpack, the two of you took off running towards what you hoped was your hotel but after circling uselessly, you both found that neither of you could remember or see the right direction through both the torrential downpour and the dark European night. Eventually the two of you had found an awning to take cover and as you stood there shivering and laughing, it was almost as if everything so far had been leading you both to this moment and when Brian wrapped his hand around your elbow and pulled you towards him, you not only went willingly but did your part as well, one hand coming to rest on the lapel of his jacket while your other one found its way into soaked blond locks. His arms wrapped themselves around your body, his hands cold from the rain but you didn't even fathom asking him to remove them as his fingers skimmed the slight inch of bare skin at your hip.

A small part of your brain tried to tell you all the reasons as to why this would be a terrible idea.

“Brian."

“ _No_.” He muttered opening his eyes to stare into yours. “Listen, Haven, I know what you’re going to say and I know that your reasons are probably right but I just don’t _care_. Let it just...just...you, me, and now. I don’t want to think about anything else.” You shouldn’t. You _shouldn’t_. _You absolutely. Should. Nt._ And yet…

“You...me...and now.” Brian took that as permission and leaned in to let your lips meet. Brian pulled you flush against him and the closeness surprised you enough for you to gasp and the male took that opportunity to sneak his tongue in and before long you were both battling for dominance. You don’t know how long the two of you were standing there, but by the time you pulled away for a break of air, you saw that while the rain hadn’t completely subsided it was no longer coming down as hard as it previously had been. As Brian started to lean back in, you stopped him, motioning in what you thought was the correct direction of your lodging but as you started to walk that way, Brian quickly pulled you back, clearly wanting to continue where you left off. A quick reminder that you had a whole room waiting for you back at the hotel quickly had him agreeing that the sooner you got back the better. It took almost fifteen minutes of wandering but you did eventually find your way back and if it took you five minutes to get to your floor after getting into the elevator because you were a little too occupied to push the button, well, that was nobody’s business but your own.

The next day, you both claimed you couldn’t go on the organized exploration of the city because you were sick with colds. No one bothered to check if you were lying or not.

The last two weeks of the trip had been spent sneaking away from group activities, shared kisses, and Brian taking more pictures of you then you would have liked. With every passing day, you could feel the two of you growing closer even with the end of the trip drawing nearer by the second. The last night of the trip had your group staying in London, with all of you planning to fly out of Heathrow the following morning. You and Brian hadn’t really talked much in the last hours, both of you seemingly occupied with committing every second to memory. You had both agreed that your contact should end when you boarded your separate planes home-you weren’t even sure where he called home was- but as you stood in the airport, both of you searching for words, your heart squeezed in your chest as you realized that the last thing you wanted was to leave. You finally forced yourself away, one hand gripping your backpack strap and your other one firmly gripping the handle of your suitcase as you pulled it behind you, too afraid that you might turn around and reach for him if you let go of either object.

You don’t remember much about the flight home but you do remember having to wipe away the tear tracks on your face before meeting your mother in the airport. Speaking of your mother…

“Erlene?” You turned to see her peeking her head in once more. “I know you’re nervous darling, but putting it off isn’t going to help. Besides, this isn’t the end of your freedom or whatever you’re thinking. This is a new _beginning_. I did not love your father when we got married but now…” You watched her get a faraway look in her eyes that you knew meant she was thinking about your dad who at this point was probably losing his mind in his seat. “Now, I can’t imagine being without him.” You could hear the sincerity and warmth in her voice just like every time she talked about her husband and your heart ached for what she and your father had. A small part of you was afraid that you’d already turned your back on your only chance for it. Your mother, upon seeing your distress and the poorly hidden tears in your eyes, walked over to you and cradled your face in her hands like she used to do when you were younger. “This, _right here_ , is the most terrifying part. All you have to do is make it down the aisle and then everything else from there is smooth sailing. This marriage, any marriage, arranged or not, will only work if you are open to it. I know you’re afraid and you have every right to be. But I can tell you from experience that this was without a doubt the best decision I ever made and it gave me the best thing I could have asked for. _You_.”

“Mom, stop, this eyeliner and mascara are _not_ waterproof.” You joked attempting to lighten the mood but you wrapped your arms around her as tight as you could and within seconds, she was doing the same. The two of you eventually pulled away and after a quick glance in the mirror to determine that the both of you still looked perfect and hadn't put all of the makeup artists’ hard work to waste, your mother turned to face you once more.

“Now or never, baby girl. You getting married or running away? Heads, up I’m prepared for both.” You scoffed and rolled your shoulders back, arching an eyebrow in challenge.

“Mama didn’t raise no bitch.”

“Language. _And no she didn’t_. I’ll see you out there.” She left you in the middle of the room and walked towards the door but stopped when you called out to her.

“What’s his name? My um, my-”

“Husband? Young-hyun.”

“And my new last name?”

“Kang.” You nodded, rolling the name around in your mind.

“Kang.” You repeated. “I guess I could get used to that.” Your mother smirked.

“Wait till you see the cute boy it comes with.”

“ _Mom!_ ”

“See you out there!” She left the room again and you tried to stifle the fit of giggles that threatened to escape your throat and you smoothed the imaginary wrinkles in your dress and as you picked up your bouquet from the vanity. With one last glance around the room, you took a deep breath and walked out, needing to take a few more breaths before you could find the strength to open the double doors separating you from the next part of your life.

Finally, after one last glance at the doors behind you (momentarily thinking about your mother being prepared for you to run and trying to figure out what exactly that _means_ ), you lifted your tiered veil over your face (something old, thank you grandma) the material thick enough to not only hide your face but even to partially obstruct your view. You fumbled slightly for the door handles before pulling them open, the room immediately falling silent as you walked towards the front of the room, the light from what you assumed to be a large window leading you down the aisle. You felt like everyone could hear your heartbeat echoing with every step you took. From what you could see, Young-hyun’s back was to you, his front facing where the light was coming from and you couldn’t help it as the imagery immediately reminded you of watching Brian stare at a stained glass window.

You nearly tripped and had to hold in a gasp at the thought and it suddenly seemed like every step brought up another picture of Brian.

 _Step_.

You and Brian eating gelato In Rome.

 _Step_.

Running your hands through Brian’s hair as he slept.

 _Step_.

Ordering room service in languages neither of you could speak.

 _Step_.

The sunset pictures that you at first thought were frivolous but grew to love and even sometimes had to remind him to take.

 _Step_.

You and Brian in a taxi heading towards the airport, his fingers tracing out three words on your thigh that neither of you dared to say out loud. The last thought had you literally stumbling and just as you were prepared to fall face first to the floor that you could barely see thanks to your veil ( _fucking thanks grandma_ ) a strong arm wrapped around your waist and a hand grabbed yours, helping to steady you on your feet. You could hear people asking if you were alright from all directions and you moved to raise both hands in a show of you being fine, but found yourself unable to move your right one as it was still clasped in your betrothed’s hand.

“Erlene? Are you okay?” Your future husband asked though you could barely hear it over the blood rushing through your ears. You loved him. You loved Brian and you never told him. You _love_ him and now you’d never get to tell him. You should have said something, you should have done something, what would have happened if you hadn’t gotten on the plane? What was the future that Brian couldn’t control? Would he have left it all for you if you had asked? What-

 _Why do I know this hand?_ Your soon-to-be-husband had yet to release your hand from his and he had now escalated to rubbing his thumb against the back of your hand in what was clearly an attempt at comforting you, something that you had gotten accustomed to in the past couple of weeks. The palm was bigger than yours and had calluses from years of guitar playing, that you once got to see in action when they had borrowed one from a busker in Spain. You knew the lines in the hand almost as well as you knew your own and once again the blood was rushing through your ears only now it was for a completely different reason.

“Erlene! Can you hear me? Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?” You gasped, unable to believe the voice you were hearing and yanked your hand out of his before nearly ripping your veil off your head in an attempt to get it away from your face, your jaw dropping in shock at the man who stood in front of you. A familiar amber complexion. Straight nose. Tawny brown eyebrows. Triangular eyes that were a cognac brown. The only difference now being that the blond hair was gone and in its place was a jet black color that you couldn’t help but notice left you a little breathless. Your new husband wore n expression of shock and confusion and you were pretty sure that it was a perfect mirror of your own.

“Haven?”

“ _BRIAN?”_

* * *

 

“And now for the moment, you’ve all been waiting for. It is my honor as the best man to inform you all that it is time for the groom to make his speech. He originally hadn’t planned on giving one and honestly, I’m as shocked as all of you are-”

“The point Jae, sometime today, _please_.”

“Sungjin just because you’re still jealous about not being best man-”

“ _Jae_!”

“May I present, the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Kang Young-hyun!” Cheers erupted in the courtyard and you found yourself smiling softly as you watched Brian (or was it Young-hyun? Didn’t one of the other groomsmen Wonpil called him Young K? Or had it been Dowoon) rise from his chair beside you to face the small crowd and after a quick glance your way he cleared his throat.

“For those of you who don’t know, my new wife and I are the product of a well planned and organized arranged marriage. Both of our families have been doing it for years and we each knew from a young age that we would be following in those footsteps and would be following that path. We both agreed to allow our parents to pick who we would be spending our futures with based on statistics and social circles and the possibilities of financial gain. We would be put together not through love, but through numerical compatibility and the hope that we would get along for the rest of our lives.

“Early this year, I saw an ad for a three month trip around Europe and before I could be talked out of it I was already signing up. I thought that it would be a good way to settle myself before I made the biggest commitment of my life. I thought I’d make a few friends, take a few pictures and come back with a few funny stories of my European escapades that I could tell my new wife in an attempt to break the undoubtedly awkward ice. That first night, I saw a girl sitting by herself at the bar who looked as sad as I felt so I thought, why not? So, I went up to her and asked her what she was running from. And she proceeded to _glare at me_.” Chuckles burst around the room and you had to fight a smile as he turned to look down at you. You playfully glared at him and crossed your arms in mock annoyance while gesturing for him to get on with it and after winking at you he continued, his eyes never leaving yours.

“We quickly became friends and it was as if we had known each other forever. I didn’t know her real name, her age, where she lived, and I never did find out what she was running from, but I knew I fell in love with her that first night. I felt sick the whole trip because here I was about to get married to someone, knowing that I was willingly giving my heart to someone whom I wasn’t sure I would even ever see again. Saying goodbye at the airport and having to force myself not to ask for her number, or her email or just some way to contact her, was the hardest thing I had ever done. Until I got here this morning.” At this point, Brian reached his hand out to you and interlaced your fingers with his, offering a small smile.

“The whole time I was waiting for my new wife to walk down the aisle, I couldn’t stop thinking about the beautiful girl who I had spent my summer with, who had taken my heart and who would never see again. So imagine my surprise that while I’m wallowing in my pity I should look over and see my fiance about to tumble over, and after helping her get back on her feet, watch her lift her veil and see that it’s none other than the exact girl who has been occupying my thoughts.”

“Before all of this, I wasn’t sure if I believed in soulmates and that there was someone destined for everyone. But I have always believed in fate and that coincidences don’t happen. I was always going to marry Erlene and I was always going to fall in love with Erlene, though the order wasn’t always clear. I came here today, prepared to commit to the woman I was about to marry, and coincidentally, she also turned out to be the love of my life. And I can’t wait to spend every day of the rest of it, being her husband, her supporter, her love, her security and most importantly, her haven.” You sniffled and gently wiped at the tears under your eyes as you squeezed his hand.

“I want to be your haven too.” You whispered back and Brian didn’t even try to hide his smile as it stretched across his face. He gently pulled you to your feet and you went willingly. Brian used his free hand to reach for his champagne glass and you as well as everyone else around you all followed suit.

“The first night we met, my wife and I made a toast. To you, to me, to now. And now I get to make another toast with her. To, you, to me, to forever.” You smiled, clinking your glass against his own.

“To you. To me. _To forever_.”

**Author's Note:**

> Not beated/edited. Will come back and do that later. 
> 
> Review please! And look out for story updates in the future!


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